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Original poster

What do people do at weekends?!

84 replies

puffyeyedsugarmonster · 21/09/2019 14:41

This makes me sound ridiculous but DH & I are both mid & late thirties, no kids, reasonable income and hardly ever have anything to do at the weekend.

We normally just stay at home or in the garden, sometimes go for a wander to the local pub but I don't want to do that all the time. All our friends have young kids so they're always doing stuff with them, occasionally we'll join them but to be honest as we don't have kids fetes and fairs and things aren't really our thing.

I feel like we're wasting so much of our lives just staying at home but am a bit lost for ideas...?

OP posts:

JingsMahBucket · 21/09/2019 16:32

@TurnOffTheTv
Exercise, have sex, brunch/lunch:dinner/cocktails, cinema, theatre, art show, shopping, bookshop, cafes, museum, long walks, nights away, house sorting..

This right here plus day trips to green places, cooking, play games on my iPad, laundry, etc.

I’d like to add art making back into my routine along with going to a gym.

dottiedodah · 21/09/2019 16:38

I think most people who have been up since 5am with their DC ,will be green with envy at the thought of just a morning/afternoon to themselves let alone a whole W/E!.As others have suggested NT good to visit ,some times they need volunteers too!.What about local Markets or a trip to London if poss (or another big city in your area say 50 miles each way is doable)Many museums are free .Do you have any space to accomodate a little dog ?.They are great fun and you always meet people when out walking .What about a mini break or even good old camping (very cheap and good to be out and about).Do you have any hobbies?Photography is great and can add an extra layer to days out !

lboogy · 21/09/2019 16:38

Before DC we'd try and find a bike trail
Cinema
Visit family
Gym and afternoon nap
Meal prep in the evenings
Do the washing and tidy

2 days for the weekend isn't much time and tbh I like a quiet Sunday

Enjoy the doing nothing days

Gustavo1 · 21/09/2019 16:39

The national trust suggestion or just country park type walks are a good idea. We always found that we talked more if we got out and about rather than mooching at home with tv and phones. Not that we didn’t do that too!
The cinema was always a good one, we would go and sit in a bar for a couple of hours afterwards or go for a meal.
We did a fair few day trips, Sherwood Forest, Kew Gardens, London Dungeon type things.
A city break but with a premier inn type stay was a good way to get away but not spend a fortune regularly. Booked in advance, these can be a cheap sleep over option.

BaaBaaBS · 21/09/2019 16:40

When you say you used to do more when single, is that because you are more active than DH? I was the same, out cycling, hiking, dancing, camping etc when single, but DH isn't into any of that, so I think it can be hard to find things you both enjoy.

Likethebattle · 21/09/2019 16:42

Yes loving the ‘have kids’, I fucking would if I could!

Ellabella989 · 21/09/2019 16:42

We are the same sort of age without kids. We usually just potter around the house and garden, go out for lunch, monthly cinema outing, walks at National Trust places (both have memberships), read, watch films, sit around listening to music together, cooking and baking etc. Just been out picking sloes and we’re making some sloe gin together now

midsomermurderess · 21/09/2019 16:44

I do some housework and messages and then wander about on my bike around the bike paths, sometimes out to Portobello. The Botanics are always lovely, there's usually some cricket or rugby going on in a local park that's fun to watch for a while. Wander through a nice villagy bit near me browsing second-hand books, sometimes buying fancy cheese. Sometimes swimming, the cinema, bit of cooking. Sort of decompressing and enjoying my time being mine.

NeverTwerkNaked · 21/09/2019 16:48

Pre children/ when my children were with their dad:.
-windsurfibg; nights out; weekends away; day trips; swimming or the gym or a walk; visiting family or friends or having them over....

BobbinThreadbare123 · 21/09/2019 16:58

We're similar. Childfree and very happy. National Trust, walks, mooching round town, go to other nearby towns and cities, pub, cinema, shows, telly, doing the house up, bit of cycling and visiting friends. No reason to be bored! Also we live in the Lakes so although it is rainy sometimes, it always looks beautiful out.

FaerieKiss · 21/09/2019 17:14

We have teenagers with their own very busy social lives, so DH and I can suit ourselves most weekends now. So we:

Go see a movie.
Pop out for a pub lunch & walk.
Meet up with friends for a curry.
Have friends/family round for drinks & boardgames.
Go away for the weekend.
DH plays golf and cricket during the summer.
I meet girlfriends for coffee and shopping.
Love escaping into a new book.

HappyParent2000 · 21/09/2019 17:17

I’m setting a record at soft play, been out since half 8 this morning when we went swimming and been at soft play centre since 10:15...

Partner has been at home doing a few chores (I hope) and resting probably!

CottonSock · 21/09/2019 17:18

Before kids, hiking the hills, cooking, eating, baking, read papers, go to a bar, city break, tidy house, see a show, shopping, diy, museums, activities like canoe, boat trips, aquarium

VanGoghsDog · 21/09/2019 17:20

Been single many years but with dp now for four months.
He's at football today, I'm away visiting a city with my parents. I'm back tomorrow and he'll pick me up from the station and is tasked with then taking me somewhere nice for Sunday lunch
Most weekends we go to the theatre or cinema and for a nice long walk on the other day.
Last weekend we had a wedding to go to.
Next weekend......it'll be walking in Sunday (we're in a walking club), not sure about Saturday.

I'm not much into mooching around garden centres, parks or stately homes, maybe once or twice a year! Dp hates shops and shopping.

We've done a few weekends away, we'd visit family now and then. We're away this week as I'm off work, luckily we can afford to go away but am conscious this is not cheap.

I try to avoid eating out all the time due to not wanting to be fat! And I'm not a big drinker so not much point us going to a bar for a night.

I go to a few gigs a year, four so far this year I think, one was in Greece.
Pre him I went to theatre on my own, but Sat was shopping and laundry (I don't do either now, he does most of it as he doesn't work) and Sunday walking.
Oh the walking club have weekends away and I've been on two of those this year as well.

But I know what you mean, it can be dull. Though I try to avoid every weekend being hectic. I also hate a whole weekend just being chores, it feels so futile!

And I really dislike visiting friends with kids and having to pretend to be interested in their toys, walk very slowly, coo at the petting zoo etc, it's really dull. Luckily my friends' kids are all teens now.

ChodeMcwinkle · 21/09/2019 17:26

Weekends away to interesting places

itseasybeingcheesy · 21/09/2019 17:27

Go for walks, do some geocaching, join park run, do yoga, paint, see theatre, visit galleries, have brunch, bake, cook, write, knit, go to church, visit somewhere new, learn a language, learn to sew or make pottery, play golf, play football. Literally any amount of things you could do.

We went shopping, then geocaching, then to a welcome event at a church that reopened its doors around the corner, now watching a movie, knackered. It's up to you to fill your time with any number of interesting things.

yearinyearout · 21/09/2019 18:06

Go walking. We have a think about towns/areas we fancy visiting, find a pub with good reviews, park there and do a circular walk ending back at the pub for lunch. We use walking books but it's easy enough to find walks online/use apps.

heidbuttsupper · 21/09/2019 18:15

Today I went to see Downton Abbey

Outsomnia · 21/09/2019 18:23

From my own experience, if you are both working full time all week, well the weekend is your down time.

What is the hunger for "doing things"? I have never felt that at all, and many others would envy your freedom to either do things, or do nothing.

I love lazy weekends. Kids not an issue for us now, so we just potter around, sit in the garden, read on the kindle, go for a walk, whatever.

No rules.

CorBlimeyGovenor · 21/09/2019 19:59

Pre kids, when I felt a bit lost I did the following: borrow a dog from your local cats and dogs home to take it for a walk.
Booked myself into a few half day weekend courses (art, Buddhism, yoga etc)
Had brunch and read the Sunday papers
Occasionally went to a concert/gig.
Occasionally drove to the coast.
It's hard planning what to do/motivating yourself. But you do need to plan. Sit down and look what's on in your area over the upcoming movie MTHS. Take it in turns planning a day or evening out (even if something you wouldn't normally do). Try out a few new things.

BeepBeeep · 21/09/2019 20:04

If I'm not working, we go out. Sometimes to the coast, sometimes to the pub for an afternoon, sometimes a weekend away.
It depends on what we feel like doing.

MeadowHay · 21/09/2019 20:09

We have a 15mo but we do a fair bit of the stuff we did before just less leisurely and with more pit stops for snacks etc and modified. So this morning we took DD to Water Babies - pre-DD we may have gone swimming together or to the gym together. DH popped the shop with DD for some groceries whilst I did some laundry. Then we did some cleaning whilst she napped. We still would have done chores pre-DD, lol. Then we all had lunch, then we went to a stately home gardens that has a little farm on it, visited the animals, had ice cream in the park etc - we would have done this pre-DD anyway as we like parks, stately homes, animals and ice cream! Then we got a takeaway for tea. Put DD to bed. Had a cup of tea and watched Netflix together. Now we are probs gonna go enjoy some intimacy...then tidy up, have another cup of tea and Netflix again probs. The main difference for us is the lack of lay ins, the lack of eating dinner out and the lack of going out in the evenings in general basically. We used to go theatre, pub, cinema, dinner out etc in the evenings a lot before we had DD but can't do any of that now as don't have childcare. We v rarely take it in turns to do stuff like that separately with friends.

Jinglejanglefish · 21/09/2019 20:11

Exercise, gym, sport, weekends away if you have a decent income, country walks, sleep in etc. So much to do. Do neither of you have a hobby?

Legomadx2 · 21/09/2019 20:21

When I have childfree weekends I go for a long run, buy the ingredients and cook time-consuming recipes, lie in bed all afternoon watching Netflix, go into central London/other parts and eg go to Borough Market and buy something weird for lunch, or go and see a museum or food shop.